Bonding mechanisms have been widely employed to assemble components to form various types of manufactured articles. In particular, adhesives and sonic bonds have been employed to attach components, such as elastomeric members, in disposable articles. Such disposable articles have included absorbent articles, such as disposable diapers, feminine care products, children's training pants, adult incontinence products and the like.
Spray applicators have employed selected air streams to deposit adhesive onto selected components, such as elastic strands. Known techniques have sprayed adhesive onto moving elastic strands held at a distance above a substrate. In addition, known techniques have been employed to helically wrap a filament of adhesive around an elastic strand. Other spray applicators have been employed to assemble the various components of a desired product, such as a disposable diaper. The spray applicators have, for example, been configured to form spiraling spray patterns, swirling spray patterns, and other back-and-forth spray patterns.
In various products, elastic strands have been laminated between layers of polymer film and/or layers of woven or nonwoven fabrics to provide elasticized regions. Folded-over layers have also been employed to enclose or envelop selected strands of material. For example, the folded-over layers have been employed to enclose elastomeric strands within the waistband, leg cuff and inner barrier cuff components of disposable diapers and other disposable absorbent articles.
Conventional adhesive bonding techniques and conventional forming techniques, such as those described above, have shown a need for further improvement. Conventional spray applicators, for example, have exhibited an excessive blow-by of the adhesive, and have not adequately provided a desired combination of secure bonding, creep resistance and low interference with the stretching and retracting properties of adhered elastomeric strands. Conventional forming techniques have not exhibited desired levels of efficiency and effectiveness when producing desired components and component laminates. Additionally, the conventional techniques have not adequately provided components having desired combinations of flexibility and leakage resistance. As a result, there remains a need for improved methods for forming desired assemblies and for adhering components, such as elastomeric components, into an assembled article.